The wedding invite comes in the mail. Just one problem...

The beautifully decorated, jewel encrusted, hand written calligraphy invite arrives in the mail.

A Spring wedding. Botanic gardens. 2pm Saturday. Perfect.

Just one issue. The invite says ‘plus one’. And you don’t have one.

So would you considering hiring one? No? What if was a 6 foot two, dark haired, tanned skinned bloke named Ricardo. No? What if Ricardo were dressed as a firefighter? Still no? How about a police officer?

This is absolutely a serious question. Because apparently the free market is telling us that there is a sufficient critical mass of escort-seeking women (and gay men) who are looking for a date. More and more male-only escort agencies are opening up in capital cities around Australia, and they are making money.

One such agency, is Aphrodisiac Male Escorts. Aphrodisiac Male Escorts was recently opened in Melbourne by two friends named Sarah Jones* and Michelle Smith*.

The women say they started their business when they recognised a gap in the market. There were plenty of female escort agencies, the pair explain, but nothing exclusive for women aged 40 to 60 who were wanting to use the services of very attractive, muscly men as last-minute dates and for, well…. sexy times.

“Our clients are intelligent, hard-working, successful and well-rounded individuals from all walks of life,” said Sarah. “Many of our clients hold high-powered positions in the corporate world and simply don’t have the time or energy for the dating scene. Others are simply seeking a thrilling experience in a safe environment.”

Sarah told Australian Women Online: “It’s not about sex. It’s about having a quality experience. It’s about getting her needs met rather than having some drunk on top of her. Safety, discretion, all of those things are really important and women have had enough of online dating and picking up in bars.”

A male escort is certainly not cheap.

Hiring Ricardo the firefighter slash policeman will set you back around $350 an hour without sex and $500 an hour with. But according to Sarah and Michelle, you get what you pay for. The men go through a five-month screening process before they’re hired and only practice safe sex. This is quality man that you’re investing in.

According to the website, the men will travel – if you pay for their airfares – and according to the website, “You can be rest assured that Aphrodisiac male escorts will not appear on your (credit card) statement.” Phew.

So imagine for a moment that money was no object… Would you do it? Would you pay a man to accompany you to dinner or an event, in the interests of not showing up alone? Or… would you pay someone for sex

At 9pm on the dot, he buzzed my apartment. My stomach was churning and I was madly checking myself out in the mirror. Why would a sex worker care what I looked like? He was doing his job. Hello. But still I wanted to feel sexy; I wanted an experience that would change me. And it did.

Now, I could say he lifted me up and gave me the most intense orgasm of my life but sadly no, that didn’t happen. He was very kind, slow and made me feel at ease. He never pushed me or hurried me, even though there was a time limit and he couldn’t stay all night (much to my disappointment).

As we had sex, I felt something change in me. I felt more alive and like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders. Society places a great deal of importance around sex and suddenly I felt like I was older and allowed to enter this secret club.

The strangest thing happened, though. I didn’t feel any connection to the guy I lost my virginity to or any guy after that, I just enjoyed the feeling of having sex with a man. It gave me a thrill. Being heterosexual felt naughty, somehow.

Rose said that she felt very alone in her decision to hire an escort – that she’d never read about a woman hiring a man as an escort. But the growth in the number of male-only escorts proves that she’s not alone at all. This is something many women are doing and given the number of return customers – they’re enjoying it too.

Would you ever consider hiring an escort? Have you ever hired an escort? Do you know anyone who has?

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